U.N. to step up rights work in Philippines after drug war killings

By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Philippines pledged on
Wednesday to cooperate with the United Nations on human rights
issues after U.N. investigators documented tens of thousands of
killings in the so-called war on drugs whose perpetrators were
treated with "near impunity".
Under a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on
Wednesday the U.N. will provide technical assistance to help the
government of President Rodrigo Duterte ensure unlawful killings
and other violations are properly investigated and prosecuted.
Philippines ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Evan Garcia
said the government had "identified projects for the joint
programme in the areas of strengthening investigative and
accountability mechanisms, the establishment of compliance
monitoring systems for the national police and engagement with
civil society".
The resolution cited similar areas in which the United
Nations could provide technical assistance.
But activists said it fell short of their appeals to
establish an international investigative mechanism.
"The human rights situation in the Philippines warrants more
than just 'technical assistance' from the U.N.. A full
international investigation to effectively address the pervasive
impunity in the country is urgently needed," said
Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Philippines researcher at Amnesty
International.
A landmark United Nations report in June said tens of
thousands of people in the Philippines may have been killed in
the war on drugs since mid-2016 amid "near impunity" for police
and incitement to violence by top officials.
Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque has said what he called
"rehashed claims" of impunity in the report were unfounded.
The text of the resolution presented on Wednesday by Iceland
on behalf of countries including the Philippines keeps the issue
on the agenda for two years.
"We are hopeful that this first step will lead to concrete
results on the ground," Harald Aspelund, Iceland's ambassador to
the U.N. in Geneva, told the Council.
Laila Matar of Human Rights Watch denounced the "collective
failure" of states to launch an international investigation.
"At the same time, it is quite clear that Duterte and the
state forces behind the brutal campaign are not off the hook and
will face continued examination," she said in a statement.